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Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Political Correctness Closes Women's Refuge

Supporters of a women's refuge were 'shocked and stunned' to be told it is being closed - because it does not cater for men.

The emergency shelter was set up 13 years ago for women and children and adult males are not allowed to stay.

But council officials have now ruled that, because it does not serve both sexes equally, the money used to run the home would be better spent on an 'outreach service' to help battered husbands as well as wives in their own homes.

Brian Ellis, a councillor who helped set up the refuge in Weymouth, Dorset, in 1986, branded the move a 'step backwards'.

'It doesn't make sense,' he said. 'The women are there because of what men have done to them and their children. When people suffer from domestic violence they need an immediate escape and that's being taken away.'

Refuge, a charity for women and children affected by domestic violence, said: 'There are not enough refuges for women as it is.

'It's already difficult to get help and women often have to travel long distances. Losing beds that are already there is really devastating. It is a whole community that has lost that kind of safety.'

The shelter, which can accommodate six families, costs £82,780 a year to run.